Prevalence of Enteropathogens in Dogs Attending 3 Regional Dog Parks in Northern California

Hascall, K.L.; Kass, P.H.; Saksen, J.; Ahlmann, A.; Scorza, A.V.; Lappin, M.R.; Marks, S.L.

Twenty-seven of 300 dogs (9%) tested positive on at least 1 or more of the 4 Giardia tests: fecal flotation or DFA at the university laboratory and fecal flotation or PCR at the commercial reference laboratory (Table S1 ). The presence of Giardia was not significantly different among dog parks (P = .20), although it was associated with a significantly younger age (P = .0007). Twelve of the 27 Giardia-infected dogs (44%) had diarrhea on the day of sample collection and a significant positive association between Giardia detection and increasing fecal score was found (P = .0049). Thirteen of the 27 Giardia-infected dogs (48%) were co-infected with up to 3 additional enteropathogens, and Cryptosporidium spp. was found in 31% of these co-infected dogs. There was no association between the presence of Giardia spp. and the presence of other enteropathogens (P = .087). Seventy-nine owners reported that their dogs had been dewormed within the past 6 months, and 217 owners reported that their dog had not been dewormed within this period. Four owners failed to report their dog's deworming status on the questionnaire. Dogs that had been dewormed within the past 6 months were significantly more likely to have an intestinal parasite(s) detected (P = .039) compared to dogs that had not been dewormed. Intestinal parasites were detected in 52 dogs, of which 20 had been dewormed with the past 6 months and 32 had not. Intestinal parasites detected in the 20 dogs that had been dewormed included Giardia spp. (n = 11 dogs); Cryptosporidium spp. (n = 6 dogs); Trichuris vulpis (n = 3 dogs); Ancylostoma caninum (n = 1 dog); and Cystoisospora spp. (n = 1 dog). One of the dogs was co-infected with Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp., and 1 other dog was co-infected with Cryptosporidium spp and Cystoisospora spp.